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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. season — in sport
  4. clip — to cut
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. scale — in music
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bark — to shout
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. roll — a list
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. season — of the year
  21. clip — for paper
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. mine — for digging
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com